Pigs 2013: It’s all a question of management

Feb 27, 2012

Which management system is best suited for gestating sows – long-trough for small groups, demand feeding station or self-catching pens? WEDA Dammann & Westerkamp, full-line providers from Lutten, have studied this question in detail and they have

documented their results in short films.

Which kind of technology should I make use of in my everyday practice? Which management system in the waiting section is best suited for my animal house? And - what fits my unit size? – These questions can only be answered individually because the management conditions are each different. Many investment decisions, however, have to made against the background of the new EU Guideline regarding group managements, which will come into force in 2013.

Thus, pig farmers are already being faced with more complex requirements regarding pen surface area, condition of house floor, ventilation technology, and lighting conditions. For German-speaking readers, WEDA have created the information brochures, “Paragrafendschungel leicht gemacht“ [Paragraph Jungle – the easy way] and “Tutti Kompletti Gruppenhaltung“ [Group Management in a Nutshell], are all at your disposal as E-papers, which you can

download free of charge under www.weda.de.

The fundamental decision, however, remains the choice of the proper management system. Longtroughs are perfectly suited for smaller groups of gestating sows. Self-catching pens enable handling without complications, are wear-free and easy to operate.

And if you wish to operate the complete animal house from one single source, the WEDA demand feeding station will provide an intelligent house management system for you. The four short films

will give you an insight into the management systems and the respective behaviour of the pigs. Interested persons will be able to visualize this under www.weda.de.